For Students

Students in Say Yes communities have access to a range of supports and services while they are in elementary, middle and high school – as well as, ultimately, to scholarships to college and other post-secondary programs. You can learn more by clicking on the link to your community chapter.

Scholarships

Say Yes Scholarships cover the cost of tuition, and sometimes additional fees, at in-state public institutions (such as the SUNY or CUNY systems in New York State) as well at the more than 80 private colleges and universities in the Say Yes Higher Education Compact. For information on eligibility and on partner institutions, click on the link to the scholarship page of your community chapter.

Supports

Depending on your chapter, the range of supports and services offered by Say Yes and its partners in your community might include tutoring and after-school programming; medical and mental health counseling; guidance on the college admissions and financial aid process, and free legal assistance. Click on your community’s chapter site to learn more.

Pathway to Success

Success Starts Early
There are many factors that contribute to a student’s success in Postsecondary education and translate into their career. These include Kindergarten readiness, reading at a grade level by the end of Grade 3, High Stakes Proficiency (>75th percentile) in ELA and Math by end of Grade 5, and Parent/Guardian aspiration to get information about Postsecondary opportunities by the end of Grade 6.

Pathway To Success

High School Preparation
Many students believe that planning for college is a part of a student’s senior year of high school, but it actually begins much earlier. Steps need to include: Post-secondary prep course schedule entering Grades 9, 10, 11, and 12; Plans to attend a postsecondary program by end of Grade 9; Completing PSAT/PLAN by the end of Grade 10; and, Algebra II by the end of Grade 11.

Meet Our Scholars

RESULTS

Over its 30-plus year history, Say Yes has touched the lives of thousands of students and their families, initially in small cohorts and now across communities. More than 13,000 students have gone to college with the support of Say Yes, most since 2013.

Community Support

In less than two years, Say Yes Buffalo has raised more than $24 million from the local community to support college scholarships. over that time, the number of city high school graduates enrolling in college increased by 8 percentage points.

After-School Programming

For less than what it costs the community to house a teenager for two nights in a Buffalo juvenile detention center – nearly $1,700 – Say Yes can give a student a year of after-school programming (2 hours per day, 5 days per week).

Employment with Bachelor's Degrees

Americans with bachelor’s degrees earn, on average, 63 percent more each year than those with only high school diplomas; those with high school diplomas are unemployed at a rate more than double those with at least a bachelor’s degree.